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Carlo Ancelotti once named the Chelsea icon who 'worked twice as hard as everyone else'

Carlo Ancelotti has worked with some brilliant players over the years. When asked to name some of the best he ever coached, he picked legends such as Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior.

Three of those five were so good they even scooped the Ballon d'Or at various stages of their careers (he didn't even mention other winners Kaka and Luka Modric). After spells in Italy, England, Spain, Germany and France, coaching the biggest teams in Europe, the iconic manager could have named many more modern legends.

For any head coach, selecting a captain is always an important factor in getting the dressing room balance right. Paolo Maldini was his captain at AC Milan when they won the Champions League on two occasions. Iker Casillas, Marcelo, Modric, Thiago Silva, and Philipp Lahm were also his captains as he lifted major honours at Real Madrid, PSG, and Bayern Munich.

One Englishman, however, stood out in the eyes of Ancelotti as 'the captain of all captains'.

Ancelotti Blown Away By John Terry's Leadership

"One word from him, and the locker room holds its breath"

In 2009, the Italian took charge of Chelsea. He'd win a Premier League and FA Cup double in his debut season before departing in 2011. It was a fairly short but sweet managerial spell, but John Terry left a big impression on Ancelotti.

Speaking in his 2010 autobiography, The Beautiful Games of an Ordinary Genius, the legendary coach highlighted the Englishman's leadership skills. He said (via Sky Sports):

"John Terry is the captain of all team captains, he was born with the captain's armband on his arm.

"Even without the band, it's as if he wears it anyway, and that's how it ought to be. He's different from all the others, Chelsea is his home, it always has been, ever since the youth squad.

"One word from him, and the locker room holds its breath. He's the first one to sit down at meals, the first one to stand up. Being part of this club is his mission, that's how he was made. He pays close attention to the performances of the youth team, he keeps up, he knows all the scores, he misses nothing (although he often loses at ping-pong in the dining room - and when that happens, watch out).

"He works twice as hard as everyone else, he has the sense of responsibility of someone who runs a company, a people, a philosophy that above all has to win. "There is no room for second place; there can only be room for us."

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Terry Won Five Premier League as Chelsea Captain

But his leadership was criticised in 2008 Champions League final

It's certainly very hard to find anyone who would question Terry's leadership skills. After all, the iconic English defender lifted five Premier League titles during his time at Stamford Bridge, as well as one Champions League, five FA Cups and three League Cups.

That said, he was once criticised for his ego as captain. Indeed, Claude Makelele suggested that Terry cost Chelsea another Champions League title when he stepped up in the 2008 shootout loss to Manchester United, instead of letting Salomon Kalou or Nicolas Anelka go first.

The Englishman famously slipped and missed his effort, but would perhaps argue that he simply wanted to take responsibility in the moment, as all good leaders do in football. Ancelotti wasn't in charge at the time, but when he arrived a few years later, he certainly had no doubts about Terry's position as a fantastic club captain.

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